die Keule
leg
The thigh of a slaughtered animal, especially poultry, lamb, or game, as a piece of meat.
EXAMPLE
Zu Weihnachten gibt es bei uns traditionell eine Gänsekeule.
At Christmas, we traditionally have a goose leg.
die Keule
leg / club
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Meanings
die Keule
club
A heavy wooden or metal stick that is thicker at the end and is used as a weapon or tool.
EXAMPLE
Im Museum war ein Steinzeitmensch mit einer Keule in der Hand ausgestellt.
In the museum, a Stone Age person was displayed with a club in his hand.
die Keule
heavy-handed measure
A drastic, often exaggerated measure or a very strong argument used to achieve a goal or convince someone.
EXAMPLE
Gegen das Unkraut im Garten hat er gleich die chemische Keule eingesetzt.
Against the weeds in the garden, he immediately used the chemical hammer.
Usage tips
Context clue
You can easily recognize the meaning from the context: in the kitchen it is about meat (m01), in history about a weapon (m02), and in discussions about an exaggerated measure (m03).
EXAMPLE
Für das Festessen habe ich eine Lammkeule gekauft.
I bought a leg of lamb for the festive meal.
Typical collocations
As a cut of meat, 'Keule' (leg) is almost always combined with the name of the animal. Typical examples are 'Gänsekeule' (goose leg), 'Hähnchenkeule' (chicken leg), 'Putenkeule' (turkey leg), or 'Lammkeule' (leg of lamb).
EXAMPLE
Im Restaurant bestellte er eine knusprige Entenkeule mit Rotkohl.
In the restaurant, he ordered a crispy duck leg with red cabbage.
Figurative use
In the figurative meaning, 'Keule' (club/heavy-handed measure) is often combined into a new word. The first word describes the type of drastic measure, e.g. 'die Chemiekeule' (strong chemicals/chemical hammer) or 'die Moralkeule' (strong moral accusation/morality club).
EXAMPLE
Manche Leute greifen bei jeder Kleinigkeit sofort zur Gesetzeskeule.
Some people immediately reach for the legal hammer over every little thing.
Negative meaning
The use of 'Keule' (club/heavy-handed measure) in the figurative sense is always negative or critical. It expresses that a measure is perceived as exaggerated, unfair, or too aggressive.
EXAMPLE
Sein Chef hat die Kündigungs-Keule geschwungen, um die Mitarbeiter einzuschüchtern.
His boss swung the dismissal hammer to intimidate the employees.
Compare with
Keule vs Schlegel
mallet / leg / clapper
Schlegel and Keule can both refer to the piece of meat from the thigh of a slaughtered animal. The exact usage depends on the region and the type of meat; in addition, Keule may refer more often to the entire upper-leg section, while Schlegel may refer to a more specific cut. When in doubt, use the local butcher’s term.
Keule
Der Metzger bot für das Fest die ganze Keule vom Lamm an.
The butcher offered the whole leg of lamb for the celebration.
Schlegel
Der Metzger schnitt für das Fest einen kleineren Schlegel vom Lamm ab.
The butcher cut off a smaller leg of lamb for the celebration.
In real life
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